Hypnotize
      and
      Devastate
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      No
      feelings,
      eh?
     
    
   
   
    
     
      “The
      Plan
      .
      .
      .
      don’t
      have
      any
      feelings,”
     
     
      states
      a
      No
      Records
      employee,
      trying
      desperately
      to
     
     
      explain
      why
      band
      members
      Mike
      Catano
      and
     
     
      Mackenzie
      Ogilivie
      would
      neither
      fit,
      nor
      be
      inter-
     
     
      ested
      in
      participating
      in
      Teresa
      Doyle’s
     
     
      “Songwriter’s
      Circle.”
      No
      feelings
      eh?
      Well,
      one
     
     
      would
      be
      hard-pressed
      to
      convince
      anyone
      who’s
     
     
      ever
      seen
      The
      Plan
      perform
      of
      this
      claim.
      They
      play
     
     
      with
      an
      urgency
      and
      intensity
      which,
      in
      my
      eyes,
      is
     
     
      lamentably
      absent
      from
      most
      contemporary
      music,
     
     
      be
      it
      corporate
      or
      independent.
      This
      intensity
      is
      fur-
     
     
      ther
      magnified
      by
      the
      almost
      breathtaking
      proficien-
     
     
      cy
      with
      which
      the
      band
      manipulates
      not
      only
      their
     
     
      instruments,
      but
      the
      atmosphere
      and
      audience
      as
     
     
      well.
      I’ve
      seen
      The
      Plan
      play
      a
      half-dozen
      times
     
     
      since
      their
      inception
      in
      1999,
      and
      with
      every
      per-
     
     
      formance
      I
      become
      more
      impressed
      with
      their
      abili-
     
     
      ty
      to
      offer
      a
      mind-blowing
      live
      set.
     
    

    
     
      I
      suppose
      such
      glowing
      accolades
      behoves
     
     
      me
      to
      offer
      some
      reasonably
      value-neutral
      descrip-
     
     
      tion
      of
      their
      music
      for
      those
      of
      you
      who
      need
      more
     
     
      to
      go
      on
      than
      my
      own
      impeccable
      taste.
      In
      the
      most
     
     
      accessible
      terms
      I
      can
      manage,
      The
      Plan
      combine
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Mike
      Catano:
      Rock
      Icon.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      by
      Jonah
      CAMPBELL
     
    
   
   
    
     
      the
      calculated
      fits,
      starts
      and
      tempo
      bending
      tenden-
     
     
      cies
      of
      math
      rock
      with
      the
      energy
      and
      edge
      of
      hard-
     
     
      core
      punk
      to
      create
      a
      sound
      that
      weighs
      in
      some-
     
     
      where
      too
      loud
      for
      your
      average
      weak-hearted
      indie
     
     
      kid
      but
      too
      artsy
      and
      confusing
      for
      many
      punks.
     
     
      They
      artfully
      blend
      melody
      and
      mayhem
      in
      such
      a
     
     
      way
      as
      to
      simultaneously
      hypnotize
      and
      devastate
     
     
      the
      listener.
      If
      that
      means
      anything
      to
      you.
     
    

    
     
      Tracing
      the
      past
      musical
      affiliations
      of
      The
     
     
      Plan’s
      individual
      members
      provides
      one
      with
      a
      ver-
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Mackenzie
      Ogilvie
      laying
     
     
      down
      the
      bass.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      itable
      who’s
      who
      of
      the
      Halifax
      indie/punk
      scene,
     
     
      including
      such
      bands
      as
      North
      of
      America,
      Equation
     
     
      of
      State,
      Led
      By
      Regret,
      and
      the
      State
      Champs,
      run-
     
     
      ning
      the
      gamut
      from
      Thrush
      Hermit
      to
      Snot
      Party.
     
     
      Lyrically,
      The
      Plan
      is
      pretty
      abstract
      for
      the
      most
     
     
      part,
      but
      in
      a
      way
      that
      is
      still
      poetically
      satisfying.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Fucking
      rock.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      writing
      often
      contains
      revolutionary
      overtones
     
     
      which
      create
      an
      atmosphere
      that
      brings
      to
      mind
      the
     
     
      clandestine
      romance
      of
      subversive
      intellectuals.
      In
     
     
      other
      words,
      they
      can
      occasionally
      be
      artsy
      to
      the
     
     
      point
      of
      pretentiousness.
      But
      it’s
      good,
      real
      good.
     
     
      Adding
      to
      their
      year
      2000
      releases,
      This
     
    
   
   
    
     
      a
      fA
     
     
      .
      patj
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Time
      Is
      Not
      This
      Place
      (Matlock
      Records)
      and
      the
     
     
      Ante
      Up
      the
      Essay/Give
      Me
      the
      Theory
      7”
      (The
     
     
      Jesus
      Sanchez
      Endeavour),
      The
      Plan
      have
      just
      put
     
     
      out
      a
      new
      CD
      Only
      These
      Movements
      Remain,
      also
     
     
      on
      Matlock
      records,
      to
      be
      released
      on
      vinyl
      in
     
     
      Europe
      by
      Rewika
      records.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Again:
      fucking
      rock.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ATTENTION
      STUDENTS!
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Any
      students
      who
      are
      interested
      in
     
     
      attending
      the
      Sustainable
      Campuses
     
     
      Conference
      put
      on
      by
      the
      Sierra
      Youth
     
     
      Coalition
      from
      October
      11
      to
      14
      in
     
     
      Halifax
      should
      get
      in
      touch
      with
      Cynthia
     
     
      Dennis
      at
      the
      Student
      Union.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Email
      suprez@upei.ca
      or
      call
      566-0398.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      You
      can
      also
      check
      out
      the
      website
      at
     
     
      www.sierrayouthcoalition.org.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      It’s
      going
      to
      be
      super
      duper
      interesting
     
     
      and
      tons
      of
      wicked
      fun!
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      THE
      CADRE
     
    
   
   
    
     
      JAGAD
      SHT